Berkley Center

Before coming to India, I knew that although caste-based discrimination had been outlawed, the caste system still played a substantial role in the fabric of the Indian nation. Aside from that snippet of information, my comprehension of the system was otherwise limited. Going into my fall semester in Pune, India, I was therefore curious to see with my own eyes how it functioned.

My first exposure to the caste system came during the first week of my social justice course. We watched a short documentary film that shed light on the role the caste system played in present-day India. One part of the film was especially jarring and difficult for me to watch. It showed several young and giggling boys expressing their dislike of the untouchables and how they could not bear to be in the same room with them, let alone eat lunch with one of the other schoolboys who was an untouchable. The next scene was of the schoolboy who was an untouchable, who expressed his sadness at having to go home for lunch because he could not sit near any of the other children.

After watching the film, feelings of anger, frustration, and confusion bubbled up inside of me. I could not wrap my head around how some people today could be so narrow-minded and discriminate and mistreat others simply because of their classification in such contrived social categories. I believe that the only social category that should exist in society is humanity, and this is an all-inclusive category and one in which all people belong.

Despite how much I disagree with the existence of the caste system, rendering this social structure null and void in 2014 is nearly impossible. The caste system, with its long history and tradition, has become so thoroughly entrenched in Indian culture, religion, and politics that it has become part of the status quo. The process of dividing people into castes and their corresponding sub-castes is the norm. Because India is an overwhelmingly patriarchal society, after a wife in India gives birth, her children take on her husband’s caste rather than her own caste (except for those born in the states of Kerala and Meghalaya, both of which have matrilineal societies).

But all is not lost. Through a series of movements, legislation, and reforms over the years, a person’s caste is no longer the sole determining factor of one’s future livelihood and success in India. When I expressed my frustration at the caste system to my host sister, she too voiced her misgivings. More importantly, however, she said that her generation of Indians is a questioning generation. Her generation is not one of followers that accept whatever rules and norms have been set before them without complaint, but rather one that challenges deep-rooted social structures. Her generation was unafraid and prepared to break away from the status quo and create a new normalcy.

Expecting the caste system and caste-based discrimination to disappear from the Indian fabric and from the minds of all Indians within this decade is wistful thinking. Change at a scale as vast as this will take considerable time and persistence. However, I am hopeful that the notions of the caste system will continue to crumble and become less acceptable as India develops and moves forward as a nation in this increasingly globalized world.